Camp Damascus: July 2-7, 2023

What is Camp Damascus?
Camp Damascus is a part of Catholic Youth Summer Camp in Centerburg, Ohio. It's a place that combines adventure and faith in a unique setting, gathering hundreds of young Catholics from around the country for a week of encountering Christ in new ways. Camp Damascus has something for every student whether they love sports, music, crafts, swimming and more, there is a place for them. Students will spend their week meeting other young Catholics, canoeing, navigating ropes courses, playing a myriad of sports, swimming the lake, praying in new ways, worshiping through music, receiving reconciliation, attending daily Mass, and going through the famous paint fight. This is a week they will likely never forget! See more information on their website.

Who Can Attend Camp?
Camp Damascus is specifically catered to middle school students and their chaperones. All incoming 6th grade students through 8th grade students for the 2023-2024 academic year are encouraged and welcome to attend.

Parents of middle school students are also highly encouraged to attend and experience Camp Damascus with their children. Chaperones must be adults age 21 and older as of July 2, 2023. As a chaperone, you will be asked to be an engaged adult during camp, participating in activities alongside our youth. As a chaperone and faith mentor, we also expect you to help conduct conversations discussing the ways they have seen Christ working in their lives at camp and beyond.

What are the Details for Camp?

When: July 2 - 7, 2023 in Centerburg, Ohio (near Columbus).

Transportation
We will be driving vans over to Centerburg under the insurance of Our Lady of Grace. We will depart on Sunday, July 2nd and will arrive back in Noblesville on the 7th in the evening.

Food
Camp Damascus covers all our meals while we are there. They are very attentive to allergies. Students will be responsible for a meal on the way home from camp on July 7th.  

Cost
Camp Damascus is one of the more expensive opportunities we offer in youth ministry. We recognize this financial undertaking and work to make this viable for your family to participate. Our scholarship fund exists for this exact purpose - to help cover the costs that you cannot. The price of our trip this summer is $625 per student. If your family is willing to allow us to drive your 7-passenger vehicle for the week, the price is reduced by $75 to $550 total for your child. 

Accommodations
We will be sleeping in air conditioned bunk houses on site by gender. Students will need to pack their own bedding (sheets or sleeping bag etc.) for the twin-sized beds at camp.

Covid Protocols
Camp Damascus is committed to keeping the health and safety of their retreatants and staff as a top priority. For more information including cleaning protocols, housing, dining, and safety in regards to Covid-19, read details on their website. It is possible these policies could change before next summer, so we will continue to update families if we hear anything different than what they have posted.

Communication
OLG will communicate with parents via Flocknote, which will send emails and text messages as needed. This will be most especially helpful when it comes to confirming our safe arrival in Ohio, as well as giving an estimated time of return. We will also post updates throughout the week on our Instagram and our Facebook group.

Students are asked to leave their phones at home in order to be more present and engaged in their week at camp. Not having the distraction of their phone will allow them to focus on those they meet, be open to the way Christ is calling them, and particiapte more fully. As parents, you will be given the numbers of the chaperones (and the camp) in case you need to get ahold of your child for any reason.

Contact
You can contact edge@ologn.org with any questions before our trip takes off!

Required for Camp Damascus 
In order to attend camp, we need to gather some initial information so please fill out the form below and pay the $100 deposit. After completing this portion, your spot wil be saved and you will receive further information to register officially on the camp's website.